Christie's to Auction One-of-a-Kind Patek Philippe Ref. 2499

One of those timepieces, a first-series 18-karat-gold Patek Philippe Ref 2499 wristwatch, purchased in the early 1960s by the late father of the present owners, is the top lot at Christie's November 12 Rare Watches auction at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues in Geneva 2499 is considered the holy grail of watch collecting, and no other ref.

The vintage model joins some 230 unique watches manufactured from the late 18th century to the present day in an auction expected to realize $12 million 2499 first series retailed by Serpico y Laino, another example of Patek Philippe Ref 2438/1 perpetual calendar wristwatch is, according to Reardon, "a hardly-before-seen occasion for collectors to discover a timepiece retained for almost 60 years in the family of the original owner.

Purchased for him on the occasion of his 50th birthday from Patek Philippe's prestigious retailer A Mersmann in Lugano, the present reference 2438/1 is one of the scarcest of Patek Philippe's 'Golden Age' watches and miraculously retains its original Certificate of Origin, with envelope." The estimate is $300,000 to $470,000 "Complementing the overall importance of the present timepiece, the watch features a very rare Mk 1 dial, amongst the rarest gems in the world of Daytona collecting and set apart from their contemporaries by the very different font type used for the printed text.

The timepiece also features the very rare Mk 1 pushers, highly sought after by the most astute collectors and often replaced during services." The Rolex MK I ref. . Source